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This week, it’s the community-based media’s turn to react to the billions spent in campaign bucks and in PAC money, freed from all constraints by Citizens United, which was merely the crown on top of a series of rulings removing limits on how much campaigns and outside groups could raise and spend on electing people to office – not to mention the millions thrown into the ring on behalf of the now-failed amendment proposals to theMinnesota state constitution.

The presidential campaign and those amendments really sucked most of the air out of the room – so much so that, yet again this year, as in 2010, the all-important legislative majority switched parties – from Republican to DFL control. And again, the surprise was theMinnesota House of Representatives, which now sports a 12-vote majority of DFLers headed by newly elected Speaker of the House Paul Thissen and Majority Leader Erin Murphy (my rep).

The Senate was less a surprise, since those with political ears to the ground were predicting a majority turnover there. Sure as hell – it came – and for the first time in 20-odd years, DFLers are driving all three governing entities – both houses and the Governor’s office.

Some attention was given to the heavy races in the 6th and 8th Congressional Districts, but the other incumbents generally sailed through and were ignored. We do that. We pay little attention to races with token or no opposition, many of the local races and a ballot question or two, and almost none of the judicial races, including the state Supreme Court, and certainly the most invisible of all – Watershed District Commissioners. What’s that? Watershed District what?

What about the St. Paul SchoolsLevy Referendum? It passed, 2 to 1, even though voters could have confused it with yet another Amendment and voted NO.

We’ll try to get a handle on all this and examine the entire commercial nature of political campaigns and why this commerciality represents a conflict of interest for media who cover those campaigns with one penciled hand while taking the massive campaign dollars with the other. What happened in this country to turn campaigns for public office into just another advertising scheme for used cars and detergent?

TTT’s ANDY DRISCOLL and MICHELLE ALIMORADI toss these questions and more to a panel of local and community-based media outlets rarely heard from in the campaign cacophony consuming our airwaves and the printed page for over two years running.

MOST RECENT SHOW

Election Night, I was privileged to anchor a great team of reporters and analysts at KFAI under News Director Dale Connelly that brought you election results, analysis and conversation from the moment polls closed at 8:00PM until Midnight. Look for an audio podcast of that four hours of conversation elsewhere on this site soon. We'll try to highlight some of the good stuff from that evening's conversations and post those tidbits later as well.

But, before that came Monday’s TruthToTell…

TruthToTell covered a number of the election issues voters confronted last Tuesday.

Minnesota voters, thank god, turned out in record numbers once again – and in almost every precinct in the state - to the tune of some 79% of the eligible electorate. Now, if we could only repeat those numbers for local races, next year and thereafter – perhaps we can really claim that our local governments represent a majority of the whole city or county or school district.

Elected officials respond to the constituents who put them in office, but even more to those who show up beyond Election Day and insist that the public interest is served by that official’s work in office.

An important function of the Minnesota Secretary of State is to provide Voter Information – and that website is loaded with it.

And, thanks to the defeat of the Voter ID Amendment, you will still need only walk in to your precinct polling place and vote, if pre-registered, or to register right there if you’re not by simply showing something with your current address on it and voting then and there.

In addition to the much-discussed and critical State Constitutional Amendments proposed, all of Minnesota’s Legislative offices and three State Supreme Court Justices were up for election this year, along with all Federal offices.

While most major cities and school districts elect their board and council members in odd-numbered years, some Minneapolis and suburban Metro cities and school board races and a St. Paul Schools Levy Referendum are on the ballot in this even-numbered year. So some, not all, of you will elect local officials in 2013.

Over the course of the horrendously fatiguing campaign season, we heard and saw almost too much about the Presidential candidates, a bit less about the US Senate race, even less about our Congressional races unless there are battles royal under way – such as that for the 6th(Bachmann/Graves) and 8th (Nolan/Cravaack) Districts – and almost nothing about some very important contests, especially about your state and local judges and justices – truly important people who determine the application of the law and its impact on our lives. So buried are these elections, it’s a wonder that anyone bothers to make them elected – until someone tries to take that power away.

TTT’S ANDY DRISCOLL and MICHELLE ALIMORADI consult four elections and political experts and analysts to generate some enlightened interest in some of the more obscure races and handicap the Legislative make-up to come. Now we know who will be in charge after last Tuesday? It will be you, and me - US.

PLEASE NOTE – I will anchor a great team of reporters and analysts at KFAI under News Director Dale Connelly bringing you election results, analysis and conversation from the moment polls close at 8:00PM until Midnight – or when we know as many of the results as we can report before then. Tune in Tuesday night for voices of those in the know. KFAI – FM 90.3/106.7 or streaming live online at www.KFAI.org.

But, Before that, comes Monday’s TruthToTell…

TruthToTell has covered a number of the election issues voters will confront Tuesday, Election Day 2012. Many of you have already voted. Some will need to register when you enter your voting places (open from 7:00AM to 8:00PM) Election Day.

WE SAID WHEN, NOT IF, you enter your polling place. It’s expected that most of this country’s residents will vote, but not 100% of those eligible to do so. In fact, even in this contentious year, turnout may barely exceed 50%. Why? Why don’t they all vote?

Many will not because they’re disgusted by the tone and tenor and corruption they’ve witnessed in the political process from local through federal offices.

Many will not because they insist their vote doesn’t count. Because their candidate may have lost a previous election, and had that man or woman won, they’d be encouraged to vote again.

Or they may believe there’s little or no difference among the candidates running for an office, especially if they as residents have seen little of the change they wanted and expected from casting their ballot.

The truth, of course, is that the more eligible voters stay away from elections, the more corrupt the office-holders become. It should be obvious that those who have the money and time to spend influencing elected officials during elections, yes, but even more during the years between elections when those officials are actually governing. Which is to say that none of should expect to simply vote and walk away from our citizenship responsibilities until the next election.

In addition to the much-discussed and critical State Constitutional Amendmentsproposed, all of Minnesota’s Legislative offices and three State Supreme Court Justices are up for election this year, along with all Federal offices.

Monday morning, we look at the elections and processes you will engage in making your choices Tuesday between 7:00AM and 8:00PM.

Over the course of the horrendously fatiguing campaign season, we hear and see almost too much about the Presidential candidates, a bit less about the US Senate race, even less about our Congressional races unless there are battles royal under way – such as that for the 6th (Bachmann/Graves) and 8th (Nolan/Cravaack) Districts – and almost nothing about some very important contests, especially about your state and local judges and justices – truly important people who determine the application of the law and its impact on our lives. So buried are these elections, it’s a wonder that anyone bothers to make them elected – until someone tries to take that power away.

TTT’S ANDY DRISCOLL and MICHELLE ALIMORADI consult four elections and political experts and analysts to generate some enlightened interest in some of the more obscure races and handicap the Legislative make-up to come. Who will be in charge after Tuesday?

MOST RECENT SHOW

WE CONTINUE OUR ELECTION COVERAGE WITH A CONDENSED ENCORE PRESENTATION OF OUR SHOWS ON THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS FACING MINNESOTA VOTERS NOVEMBER 6 – THE SO-CALLED VOTER ID AMENDMENT AND OUR SHOW'S TAKE ON THE CATHOLIC RESPONSE TO THE SO-CALLED MARRIAGE AMENDMENT– WHICH WOULD MEMORIALIZE IN CEMENT 1) A REQUIREMENT THAT ALL VOTERS PRESENT A GOVERNMENT ISSUED PICTURE IDENTIFICATION CARD IN ORDER TO CAST A BALLOT, AND TO PROHIBIT GAY MARRIAGE BY DEFINING THAT INSTITUTION AS OCCURRING ONLY BETWEEN ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN.

Election Night, I was privileged to anchor a great team of reporters and analysts at KFAI under News Director Dale Connelly that brought you election results, analysis and conversation from the moment polls closed at 8:00PM until Midnight. Look for an audio podcast of that four hours of conversation elsewhere on this site soon. We'll try to highlight some of the good stuff from that evening's conversations and post those tidbits later as well.

But, before that came Monday’s TruthToTell…

TruthToTell covered a number of the election issues voters confronted last Tuesday.

Minnesota voters, thank god, turned out in record numbers once again – and in almost every precinct in the state - to the tune of some 79% of the eligible electorate. Now, if we could only repeat those numbers for local races, next year and thereafter – perhaps we can really claim that our local governments represent a majority of the whole city or county or school district.

Elected officials respond to the constituents who put them in office, but even more to those who show up beyond Election Day and insist that the public interest is served by that official’s work in office.

An important function of the Minnesota Secretary of State is to provide Voter Information – and that website is loaded with it.

And, thanks to the defeat of the Voter ID Amendment, you will still need only walk in to your precinct polling place and vote, if pre-registered, or to register right there if you’re not by simply showing something with your current address on it and voting then and there.

In addition to the much-discussed and critical State Constitutional Amendments proposed, all of Minnesota’s Legislative offices and three State Supreme Court Justices were up for election this year, along with all Federal offices.

While most major cities and school districts elect their board and council members in odd-numbered years, some Minneapolis and suburban Metro cities and school board races and a St. Paul Schools Levy Referendum are on the ballot in this even-numbered year. So some, not all, of you will elect local officials in 2013.

Over the course of the horrendously fatiguing campaign season, we heard and saw almost too much about the Presidential candidates, a bit less about the US Senate race, even less about our Congressional races unless there are battles royal under way – such as that for the 6th(Bachmann/Graves) and 8th (Nolan/Cravaack) Districts – and almost nothing about some very important contests, especially about your state and local judges and justices – truly important people who determine the application of the law and its impact on our lives. So buried are these elections, it’s a wonder that anyone bothers to make them elected – until someone tries to take that power away.

TTT’S ANDY DRISCOLL and MICHELLE ALIMORADI consult four elections and political experts and analysts to generate some enlightened interest in some of the more obscure races and handicap the Legislative make-up to come. Now we know who will be in charge after last Tuesday? It will be you, and me - US.

Please click on the logo above or HERE to help CivicMedia/Minnesota continue to bring you TruthToTell and First Person Radio. AND THANK YOU!

After years of "professionalization" and “medicalization” of the entire parenting process from conception through delivery, many families, say, women, are opting for a simpler method, in the home with a successor to the old days of midwifery, the modern, professional midwife, or licensed midwife, or doula.

The medical profession appears pretty unhappy over this turn of events and is arguing against home birthing for all the reasons medical intervention was introduced to begin with decades ago: it’s essentially the only really safe way to deliver and, in that setting, all the options for emergency deliveries are close at hand.

There’s the rub and that’s what TruthToTell’s ANDY DRISCOLL and LYNNELL MICKELSEN will explore with advocates, hopefully from all sides of this controversy, much of which has landed in the halls of state capitols and in the medical journals, especially those of the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecologyand theAMA. But midwives and home birthing advocates have successfully pushed for laws allowing the home birthing of children and still have access to and coverage for emergency medical procedures and pediatric follow-up care for infants. Join us Monday morning for this fascinating discussion.

The junkiest of us political junkies can't help but dissect the stunning outcomes of the 2010 election, especially Minnesota's swing to a Republican majority in both houses of the state legislature. This junkie actually thought that reports of Democratic deaths were greatly exaggerated - that people would come to their senses and not vote - yet again - against their own best interests. But they did, whether they believe it now or not.

After a day or two of catching breaths and turning off the media clatter that consumed us before and immediately after the voting ended Tuesday night, we try to examine the ramifications, especially the depth of this touted revolution. Does it really run as deep as its celebrants believe? Or will history come back to bite them in the ass as it has after so many of these so-called political overhauls have. 1910, 1938, 1946, 1974, 1994, 2006. History is rife with midterm backlashes against sitting majorities and/or Presidents of the time only to see the public mood invariably swing back two years later to re-elect those presidents to a second term.

A week will have gone by when, the governor's race recount scheduled and some perspective having actually set in, we bat around the fallout and prospects for the coming Legislature – as well as the future – especially in light of the coming redrawing of our eight Congressional district boundaries and those defining our legislative districts.

TTT's ANDY DRISCOLL and LYNNELL MICKELSEN talk with former and present officeholders and the one observer of recounts to publish his own book about it. Join us Monday morning.